A backpack, sometimes referred to as a knapsack, is a pouch or bag that, typically, is provided with shoulder straps. The shoulder straps can form loops for supporting the pouch or bag on the back of a wearer. While backpacks were originally intended for use by soldiers and hikers, they are very popular with the general public for everyday use. Backpacks are especially popular with children who attend schools or daycare facilities.
Many children use backpacks to store books, school supplies, their lunch, extra clothing, or other similar items. Indeed, children are more likely to carry books and other articles in a backpack, as opposed to in a briefcase or in other hand-carried bags or pouches, because backpacks leave their hands free.
Children, as well as adults, often need jackets, coats or other similar outerwear when the weather is inclement. In such instances, it is common practice for children or adults to take along a jacket or a coat of a type that can be easily folded. The folded jackets and/or coats can be stored in the bag of the backpack, which frees the hands of the wearer.
While the typical backpack will include a pouch or a pack that is sufficiently large to store folded coats or jackets, the storage of the coat or the jacket in that manner will reduce the amount of space available for books and other articles to be carried in the backpack. The backpack can become difficult to carry and/or to support when the backpack is heavily loaded.
Other problems occur when children bring backpacks and jackets to schools, to pre-schools, and to daycare facilities. Specifically, the backpacks and/or the jackets can be lost when they are stored in separate rooms, particularly if the children, the teachers or other assistants are not paying attention as to which jacket and/or backpack goes with which child. This problem can arise even when the jackets and the backpacks are stored in the same room, together, because the jackets and the backpacks are separate, disconnected items.